Village of Ellsworth

2021 WATER QUALITY REPORT

Last year, your tap water met all EPA and State drinking water health standards.  We are proud to report that Village of Ellsworth has not violated any state or federal water quality standards.

This information is a snapshot of the quality of the water that we provided to you in 2021.  Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards.  For more information about your water, call Terry (Tex) Drenth at 231-645-6110.  

Your water comes from three groundwater wells.  Two of our wells are located at 9607 Main Street and the other is located at the end of Water Street.  The State has performed an assessment of our source water in 2007.  A determination of susceptibility to contamination was by made by reviewing our source water geology, well construction, water chemistry, and potential contaminant sources nearby.  The State has determined that our Main Street wells have a High Susceptibility and our Water Street well has Moderately High Susceptibility to contamination.  You can obtain a copy of this report by contacting Terry Drenth.

• Contaminants and their presence in water: Drinking Water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.  More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

• Vulnerability of sub-populations: Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.  Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune systems disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

• Sources of Drinking Water: The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells.  Our water comes from wells.  As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

• Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential uses.
• Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally occurring.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which provide the same protection for public health.

Water Quality Data

The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2021 calendar year.  The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.  Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 – December 31, 2021.  The State allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year.  All of the data is representative of the water quality, but some is more than one year old.

Terms and abbreviations used below:

• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
• N/A: Not applicable  ppb:  parts per billion or micrograms per liter 
  ppm:  parts per million or milligrams per liter  ND:  Not Detected

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  VILLAGE OF ELLSWORTH is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/lead.

Is our water system meeting other rules that govern our operations?  The State and EPA require us to test our water on a regular basis to ensure its safety.  We met all the monitoring and reporting requirements for 2021.

We are committed to providing you safe, reliable, and healthy water.  We are pleased to provide you with this information to keep you fully informed about your water.  We will be updating this report annually, and will also keep you informed of any problems that may occur throughout the year, as they happen.  For more information about your water, or the contents of this report, contact Terry (Tex) Drenth at 231-648-6110.